ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Vice President's Secretariat
Vice President advises youth to strive hard with determination to achieve success
VP urges private sector & NGOs to empower youth through vocational training
VP asks youth to imbibe right values & develop empathy for others
VP interacts with trainees of various vocational courses at Swarna Bharat Trust, Vijayawada
(The Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu today advised youth to strive hard with determination to acquire knowledge and expertise in their chosen fields to face competition and achieve success.
Addressing trainees of various vocational courses at Swarna Bharat Trust, Vijayawada, he asked them to dream big and work with discipline and dedication in a systematic manner to achieve their goals.
Pointing out that the government alone will not be able to provide employment to the youth, he called upon the private sector and NGOs to empower youngsters by providing them vocational training and imparting necessary skills to enable them to become self-employed or find employment.
Observing that it was important to channelise the energies of the youth towards nation building, he said Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi is laying great emphasis on skilling and empowering the youth. He said that a separate Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has been established to achieve the vision of ‘Skilled India’.
The Vice President also advised the trainees to read about the lives of great men and women and draw inspiration from them. At the same time, they should imbibe the right values and develop empathy for others. He said the attitude of ‘Share and Care’ is at the core of Indian culture.
Emphasising the need to protect and preserve Indian culture, Shri Naidu advised youth to return to their roots. Suggesting them to shun junk food and eat a healthy diet, he said it was equally important to undertake regular physical activity like yoga to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Chairman of Swarna Bharat Trust, Dr. Kamineni Srinivas and others were present on the occasion.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Open Day and Skill Development Event during One Week One Lab programme at CSIR-CGCRI, Kolkata
As a part of “One Week One Lab ” programme, CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute , Kolkata organized an Open Day and Skill Development event on 24.08.2023, with an aim of creating awareness in S&T among common people and artisans. Dr Suman Kumari Mishra, Director, CSIR-CGCRI welcomed the participants. Dr. Ramanuj Naryan, Director, CSIR- Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology graced the occasion as Chief Guest, delivering a lecture highlighting the connection between science and society. Around 100 participants from rural and urban areas participated in the programme and underwent skill development/demonstration on making terracotta potteries. CSIR-CGCRI products and technologies were also showcased during the event.
Ministry of Minority Affairs
Welfare Scheme for Minorities
The Government has initiated various new welfare schemes for the minority sections of the society during the last four years.
Nai Manzil is a scheme for formal school education & skilling of school dropouts. USTTAD Scheme is for upgrading the skills and training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for development of Minorities. Hunar Haat is also being organised under this Scheme from 2016-17 to further promote traditional crafts/arts, employment generation and strengthen their market linkages. Till 2017-18, 06 Hunar Haats have been organized successfully. For 2018-19, 07 Hunar Haats are proposed for being organised.
Implementation of Hamari Dharohar scheme is done to preserve rich heritage of minority communities under the overall concept of Indian Culture. Gharib Nawaz Skill Development Training for Minorities – A scheme to provide short-term job oriented skill development courses to youths belonging to 06 Centrally notified minority communities, namely, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains {implemented through Maulana Azad Education Foundation }.
The Ministry started Bridge Course for madarsa students & school dropouts by Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh and Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi under Nai Manzil scheme. . Swachh Vidyalaya scheme is implemented through MAEF.
The details of the schemes are available on the website of the Ministry  and on the website of MAEF . The details of quantum of fund allocated for each of the schemes and the percentage of funds utilized in the last three years till 30th June, 2018 are also available on the website of the Ministry.
This information was given by Union Minister for Minority Affairs Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Labour & Employment
Survey for child labour rehabilitation
The District Project Societies at District level are required to conduct the baseline survey to identify child labour. As per the revised National Child Labour Project  guidelines a sum of Rs. 4 lakhs per district to be surveyed can be spent on the survey. This amount is to cover all expenses involving survey such as training of enumerators, actual field work, honorarium besides others. As per the NCLP guidelines, the surveys are required to be conducted by the concerned NCLP societies within 3 years since the last survey. During 2018-19, a total of 30283 working children were identified.
This information was given by Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State  for Labour and Employment in written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
Rubber Growers
The Natural Rubber prices have been at relatively low levels during the past few years in domestic and international markets. However, the rubber prices started increasing during the recent weeks and the average price for the RSS4 grade in June, 2019 was 150.29 per kg. The NR prices are determined by market forces and a range of factors which inter-alia include trends in economic growth in major consuming countries, oil/synthetic rubber prices, weather conditions and developments in future markets. The domestic NR market generally follows the trend in world market with occasional divergences due to region specific and seasonal factors. The domestic NR price is sensitive to import of NR. Therefore, to regulate the import of NR, the Government has increased the duty on import of dry rubber from “20% or Rs. 30 per kg whichever is lower” to “25% or Rs. 30 per kg whichever is lower” from 30.4.2015. The Government has also reduced the period of utilization of imported dry rubber in January 2015 under advance licensing scheme from 18 months to 6 months. The Director General of Foreign Trade  has imposed port restriction on the import of Natural Rubber by restricting the port of entry to Chennai and NhavaSheva  since 20th January, 2016.
Natural Rubber is not included in the items for which Minimum Support Price is notified. There is no scheme under the head “Rubber Stabilisation Fund” in the Department of Commerce.
WTO bound rate is 25% for all dry forms of NR  and latex  is unbound. Current applied rate of dry forms of NR is 25% or Rs. 30 per kg. whichever is lower and that of latex is 70% or Rs. 49 per kg. whichever is lower. As the import duty of dry forms of NR is already equal to bound rate of 25%, it cannot be raised further. Import duty of latex is already on higher side and latex formed only 1.7% of imported rubber in 2018-19.
As such, no arrears of subsidy are pending. However, more applications than those which could be sanctioned out of approved/allocated funds, were received in the past few years. Whenever funds are made available, these applications would be considered based on their sanction status, scheme guidelines and eligibility of the beneficiaries.
This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Hardeep Singh Puriin a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Prime Minister's Office
PM hails athletes for their performance in the 20th Asian U20 Athletics Championships
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today praised athletes for a great performance in the 20th Asian U20 Athletics Championships.
The Prime Minister tweeted :
"Proud of our athletes! They performed exceptionally well at the 20th Asian U20 Athletics Championships! With 19 medals, including 6 golds, India soared to 3rd place among 45 nations. We celebrate the triumph of our athletes and wish them the very best for their future endeavours."
Vice President's Secretariat
Vice President pays rich tributes to former Attorney General, Shri Soli Sorabjee
The Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu today paid rich tributes to former Attorney General, Shri Soli Sorabjee, who passed away today due to Covid this morning.
Describing Shri Sorabjee as a legal giant, the Vice President said that he was like an encyclopedia on all matters of law and jurisprudence. He was also a champion of human rights and brought international repute to India with his work.
Shri Naidu said that the former Attorney General was a man of impeccable integrity and honesty and he had always held him in high esteem. Stating that Shri Sorabjee also used to be quite affectionate towards him, the Vice President said that the country had lost an eminent legal luminary in his death, creating an irreplaceable void in the field of judiciary.
The Vice President spoke to Shri Sorabjee’s wife and family members and conveyed his heartfelt condolences.
Ministry of Finance
Income Tax Department conducts searches in Kolkata
The Income Tax Department carried out search and seizure action on three real estate and stock broking groups of Kolkata on 05.01.2021. The search operation was conducted based on the available data in the departmental database, analysis of their financial statements, on market intelligence and field enquiries.
The search action has resulted in unearthing of incriminating evidences revealing various shell entities being used for raising bogus share capital/unsecured loans. Evidences of out of the books cash transactions have also been found. Further, significant amount of un-booked revenue on account of sale of flats was detected. During the course of search proceedings, as a result of enquiries conducted, it has been established that the persons of the group have used paper/shell companies to route back their own unaccounted money. A total concealment of income amounting to Rs. 365 crore has been detected so far. The assessees have made an admission of undisclosed income amounting to Rs. 111 crore.
The search action has resulted in seizure of unaccounted cash of Rs. 3.02 crore and jewellery worth Rs. 72 lakh.
Further investigations are in progress.
Ministry of Finance
ED seized ₹859.15 crore under PMLA and Rs 189.28 crore under FEMA Act
The Reserve Bank of India  has furnished the list of Digital Lending Apps  being used by Regulated Entities  of RBI to the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology , which in turn, has shared the list with respective intermediary  and requested them to ensure that only the apps figuring in the list are hosted on their app stores. This was stated by Union Minister of State for Finance Dr Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
Giving information on addressing the issue of money laundering through illegal loan apps, the Minister stated that the Directorate of Enforcement  has been entrusted to curb money laundering under the provisions of PML Act, 2002. ED has initiated investigation under PMLA in several cases where the proceeds of crime has been generated and acquired by accused persons/entities through illegal loan apps, the Minister stated.
In these cases, the Minister stated that as on date, proceeds of crime of Rs. 2,116 crore  has been identified, out of which proceeds of crime amounting to Rs. 859.15 crore have been attached / seized / freezed under the provisions of PMLA. Further, assets amounting to Rs. 289.28 crores have been seized under section 37A of Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.
Giving more information, the Minister stated that the RBI has issued master circular on Know Your Customer  norms / Anti-Money Laundering  standards/Combating Financing of Terrorism /Obligation of banks and financial institutions under Prevention of Money Laundering Act , 2002. Under this circular, banks and financial institutions have been advised to follow certain customer identification procedure for opening of accounts and monitoring of transactions of suspicious nature to avoid its misuse for money laundering and reporting the same to appropriate authority, the Minister stated.
The Minister further stated that RBI has issued digital lending guidelines dated 2.9.2022 which advises measures including, inter alia, due diligence of Loan Service Providers , direct disbursal of loan from bank account of lender to bank account of the borrower without any pass-through/pool or third-party account to avoid layering, publishing of the list of DLAs, LSPs engaged by REs and details of activities to avoid anonymity.
Ministry of Defence
Passing out parade for Autumn term 2018 held at Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala
1. A spectacular Passing out Parade  held at Indian Naval Academy , Ezhimala today, Monday, 26 November 2018, marked the culmination of training for 317 Midshipmen and cadets of Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard including one International cadet from Tanzania.
2. The passing out Midshipmen and cadets belonged to four different courses of Autumn Term 2018, viz., 95 Indian Naval Academy Course , 95 Indian Naval Academy Course , 26 Naval Orientation Course  and 27 Naval Orientation Course . The parade also saw 16 female cadets marching shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts to join the ranks of the Indian Navy.
3. The grand parade was reviewed by Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla, AVSM, NM, VSM, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, who awarded medals to nine meritorious Midshipmen and cadets after the ceremonial review. The Reviewing Officer, in his address, congratulated the passing out courses and advised them to imbibe by the core values of Indian Navy “Duty, Honour and Courage”. Dr Sudhir K Jain, Director, IIT Gandhinagar, Vice Admiral RB Pandit, AVSM, Commandant, INA, senior officers of the station and outstation dignitaries witnessed the momentous occasion.
4. The Passing out Parade was also witnessed by the proud parents and guardians of all Midshipmen and cadets. The ‘President’s Gold Medal’ for the Indian Naval Academy B.Tech course was awarded to Midshipman Vikrant Nagpal. The ‘Chief of the Naval Staff Gold Medal’ for the Naval Orientation  Course was awarded to Cadet Hrushikesh Vengurlekar. The ‘Chief of the Naval Staff Gold Medal’ for the Naval Orientation  Course was awarded to Cadet Samson Moses and the ‘Flag Officer Commanding in Chief  Medal’ for the best women cadet was awarded to Cadet Anuradha.
5. The glittering ceremony culminated with the successful trainees forming up in two columns and marching with their gleaming swords and rifles held in salute, past the Academy’s Saluting Dias, the Quarterdeck, in Slow March, to the traditional notes of ‘Auld Lang Syne’, the poignant farewell tune played by Armed Forces around the world when bidding adieu to colleagues and comrades. Passing out courses were bid farewell by cadets of junior terms who manned the mast and a batch of three Naval Dornier Aircraft from Indian Naval Air Squadron 550 carried out a low fly past over the quarterdeck welcoming the new officers to the Navy.
6. On completion of the parade, the proud parents and guardians of the Passing Out courses shipped the Naval, and Coast Guard, epaulettes, known as ‘Stripes’ on the shoulders of their wards, thus symbolising their transformation from ‘cadets’ into full-fledged Navy and Coast Guard Officers. The Reviewing Officer and other dignitaries shipped the stripes of the medal winners and congratulated all the trainees for their successful completion of the rigorous training. On completion of the training at the Indian Naval Academy, these officers will proceed to various Naval and Coast Guard ships / establishments to further consolidate their training in specialised fields.
Ministry of Home Affairs
Under an initiative by Government led by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, for first time Padma Awardees visit National War Memorial in New Delhi
The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind conferred two Padma Vibhushan, eight Padma Bhushan and 54 Padma Shri Awards for the year 2022, at the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday. The Civil Investiture Ceremony –II is scheduled to be held on March 28.
Under an initiative by the Government led by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi for the first time Padma Awardees who were honoured yesterday, were conducted on a visit to the National War Memorial today. The awardees went around the memorial and were moved to see the names of the personnel of the Defence Forces who over the years have made the supreme sacrifice and laid down their lives to protect the nation’s borders. The awardees appreciated the initiative of the government to organize the visit and its efforts to popularize the memorial as a place for people and children to visit in the national capital. The awardees felt that a visit to the memorial will help in inculcating the values of patriotism, devotion to duty, courage and sacrifice and instill the feeling of nationalism.
The National War Memorial  was dedicated to the Nation by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on February 25, 2019. It stands testimony to the sacrifices made by the gallant soldiers since Independence. The monument houses the eternal flame which exemplifies the supreme sacrifice made by a soldier in the line of duty thus making him immortal. Since its inauguration, all homage ceremonies are conducted only at the NWM, including those on National Days. Every evening, Next-of-Kin  ceremony is held during which NoK of a fallen hero lays wreath at the Memorial, remembering the supreme sacrifice made by the soldier. Dignitaries from home and abroad visit the NWM as part of their schedule and pay homage to the country’s brave hearts.
The Padma awardees who were conferred the awards yesterday reflect the changing profiles of the awardees, which is the result of a conscious decision taken by the Government to transform the entire process. The emphasis is on recognizing people who are giving selfless service to society. The use of technology and introduction of online nomination has made the process simple and accessible to the people at large and a record number of over 4.80 lakh nominations were received for the Padma Awards, 2022. The self-nomination, online nomination, selection of large number of unsung heroes and transparent selection process has transformed the Padma Awards into the “People’s Padma”.
To celebrate the achievement of the awardees, the Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah interacted with the awardees and their families yesterday at a programme in New Delhi, after the investiture ceremony. The interaction was followed by a dinner, hosted by the Union Home Minister in honour of the Padma Awardees.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Instrumentation facility at IISc Bangalore can accurately trace toxic metals at very low concentrations
A multi-instrument facility established at IISc, Bangalore can determine concentrations of metals and metalloids spanning a concentration range of ≥100 ppm to 10 ppt . This Water analysis facility will be key in tracing sources of pollution, quantifying reactive-transport pathways of toxic metals, and assessing the efficiency of remediation methods.
Facilities for accurate and precise determination of major, minor, and trace element concentration from natural water samples is critical for quality environmental and geochemical research. This multi-user facility will serve as an open access center for characterization of dissolved metals and metalloids for environmental and geochemical researchers from across the country.
The facility set up at the Indian Institute of Science , Bangalore under a multi-institutional project consists of combination of the two instruments which allows for accurate and precise determination of concentration for metals and metalloids from 100 ppm to 10 ppt .
The project ‘Fast Forward to SGD6: Acceptable and affordable water in secondary Indian cities ’ under its Urban Water Systems programme, awarded to a cluster of institutions  and led by IIT Kharagpur, supported by the Department of Science and Technology  focuses on identification and alleviation of water quality and quantity related challenges faced by Tier-II Indian cities.
The instrumentation includes a Quadrupole Inductively Couple Plasma Mass Spectrometer fitted with collision reaction cell  and an Inductively Couple Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer with dual detection capability .
At this analytical facility detection limits for key environmental toxins  are all less than 5 ppt. However, the ICP-OES is efficient in determining concentration between the range of 100s of ppm  to less than 100 ppb  level. The QQQ-ICP-MS, equipped with multiple reaction and collision gases, is efficient across six orders of concentration values going down to less than 10 ppt .
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Availability in States/UTs
More than 193.53 Crore vaccine doses provided to States/UTs
Nearly 12 Crore balance and unutilized vaccine doses still available with States/UTs
The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country. The nationwide COVID 19 vaccination started on 16th January 2021. The new phase of universalization of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from 21st June 2021. The vaccination drive has been ramped up through availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to States and UTs for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, Government of India has been supporting the States and UTs by providing them COVID Vaccines free of cost. In the new phase of the universalization of the COVID19 vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply  75% of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs.
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VACCINE DOSES
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SUPPLIED
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1,93,53,58,865
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BALANCE AVAILABLE
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11,99,66,130
More than 193.53 crore  vaccine doses have been provided to States/UTs so far through Govt. of India  and through direct state procurement category.
Nearly 12 Cr  balance and unutilized COVID Vaccine doses are still available with the States/UTs to be administered.